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Just a Man and His Kitchen: Court Bouillon

Frank — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 19:45:52 +0000

I love the simplicity of a Court Bouillon. For me, it is a quintessential method for preparing fish, and I use it often for tilapia, basa, and salmon. It’s a simple and fairly fast French preparation that works well with most fish and seafood. Below is the Court Bouillon that I have developed and use in my cooking. Here’s what you’ll need:

2-4 fish fillets (depending on size of pan)
3 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 small onion, sliced
1 tbsp dried thyme
3-5 cilantro sprigs
3-5 dill sprigs
1 cup white wine
1 cup water (or chicken stock)
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp peppercorns (or coarse black pepper)
1 lemon
Salt
Pepper
Begin by slicing your fish fillets in half if they are large and salt and peppering both sides of each. Add the olive oil to a pan and warm it over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is soft and both are fragrant. Add the dried thyme and stir it around in the oil to spread it throughout the pan. Add in the dill and cilantro (or parsley if you’re a cilantro hater) sprigs and allow the to sauté until fragrant. Be sure to move them about a bit as you don’t want them to burn or heavily cook in the oil.

Once everything is fragrant, it’s time to add the poaching liquid. Add the wine and then the water (or chicken stock) and stir. Allow the liquids to simmer for about a minute and then add the bay leaves, peppercorns, and lemon juice. Stir the contents of the pan and allow it to come to a heavy simmer. At this point, turn the head down to medium-low and add in your fish filets. Cover the pan and poach the fish for about 10 minutes or until done.

The fish is ready to serve! I like to serve it with a sauce like a Dill and Dijon Vinaigrette. Oooh! That sounds good! How do you make that?

We’ll get into dressings next time…

Just a Man in His Kitchen: Chili

Frank — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:20:37 +0000

Chili. Is there a better dish for a cold winter day? Or the big game? Or a tailgate? Or a spring party? Or, for that matter, any time at all? I love a good chili myself, and I often make it when asked to bring a dish to a party or social gathering. Not to toot my own horn, but I’m proud to say that I often come home with an empty pot. So, as I sit here watching the snow outside my window, I figured this would be the perfect time to share my chili recipe. Here’s what you’ll need to make this chili happen:

1 – 1 ½ lbs ground beef
1 – 1 ½ lbs ground pork
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
6 Roma tomatoes, peeled and sliced
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp coarse black pepper
½ tbsp cayenne pepper
1 cup beef stock
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1/8 cup honey
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 cup black beans
1 cup great northern white beans

Begin by creating the spice puree. Add the onion, jalapeno peppers and garlic cloves to a food processor along with about 1/8 cup of water. Puree until it becomes a greenish slush. Add olive oil to a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the ground beef and ground pork. Brown the meat in the oil. Once the meat is browned, stir in the spice puree. Once thoroughly combined, add in the cup of beef stock and then allow to simmer over low heat. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until about half of the liquid has cooked off. Add in the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the tomato paste, honey and cinnamon. Stir thoroughly and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes. Finally stir in the beans and allow to cook for about another 5 minutes. The chili is done and ready to serve!

Just a Man in His Kitchen: Swiss Chard

Frank — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 15:22:25 +0000

Green leafy vegetables are a wonderful thing! No, really, they are! They’re good for you, and they can be a wonderful flavor accompaniment to various dishes. This here is the recipe for the Swiss chard that accompanied my chicken meatloaf. I really like chard as a side for a multitude of different meals. The question most people seem to have, though, is how do you prepare the chard for cooking. Before we discuss recipes, let’s chat a bit about how to actually prep these leaves for cooking!

First, you need to remove the stem. Take the leaf and lay it flat on your cutting board.

Now fold the leaf over along the stem and then use your knife to cut the stem away from the rest of the leaf.

You do not have to cut the leaf completely in half. Cut the stem off at the far end and remove it from the rest of the leaf.

Now that you have the stem removed, complete the same process with all of the leaves. Then, rinse them good with water to get any grit out of them.

Once you have rinsed the leaves and allowed them to try a little, take a handful of them and lay them flat on top of one another. Now roll them up kind of like a cigar and then use your knife to slice the cigar roll into pieces. Your chard is now sliced and ready for cooking!

Ok! Now that we have them chopped up and prepped, here’s what you’ll need for the recipe:

one bunch of Swiss chard (obviously!)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small onion, sliced
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 cup water
olive oil
salt
pepper

Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil to a large sauce pan or a stock pot. Add in the onion and let it soften on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes or so. Add in the garlic and stir it about. Let it all cook for about 1-2 more minutes. Now add in your chard leaves in handfuls, stirring as you toss them in. Once you have all of the chard in the pot, add in the chicken stock, water and vinegar. Add in salt and pepper to taste, stir it all about, and then cover it and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or so (or until the leaves have wilted and softened).

Drain the liquid from the chard leaves and you have a tasty, healthy side dish ready for serving!

Just a Man in His Kitchen: Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes

Frank — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 18:17:14 +0000

Who doesn’t love good mashed potatoes? They’re a great side dish for so many different proteins. These Yukon Gold mashed potatoes were paired with my chicken meatloaf, but they can be paired with just about any protein. One of the pluses to these mashed potatoes is that they do not require butter, so if you are avoiding butter or on a diet, this could be a nice way to get your mashed potato fix! Yukon Gold potatoes have a natural buttery quality to them, so no additional butter is needed in the recipe. Here’s what you need to make these potatoes:

6-8 Yukon Gold potatoes
1 cup low fat or fat free milk plus 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar (or 1 cup buttermilk)
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1-2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp of salt
pepper

Peel and dice the potatoes into cubes. Add them to a saucepan and cover the potatoes with water. Bring the potatoes to a boil and then allow them to simmer for about 5 more minutes. You can test the pieces with a fork to see if they are tender enough and done. Once the potatoes are ready, strain the water from them.

While the potatoes are cooking, make a small batch of sour milk. This is an excellent substitute for buttermilk if you do not have any on hand. Most buttermilk these days is made from low fat or non fat milk, so feel free to use buttermilk in this recipe. But if you do not have any buttermilk on hand, a batch of sour milk will do the trick! To make sour milk, take 1 cup of low fat or non fat milk and add either 1 tbsp of lemon juice or 1 tbsp of white vinegar. Whisk them together and allow them to sit for about 10 minutes. Keep in mind using the lemon juice will add a bit of a very slight tangy citrus flavor.

Whichever form of the milk you decide to use, be sure to add it to a saucepan and allow it to simmer a little to get warm. Why warm the milk, you ask? If you don’t, the milk will make your potatoes cold when you add it (and who wants to eat cold mashed potatoes ?).

Ok… now back to these mashed potatoes! Add the strained potatoes to a bowl and start mashing them by hand with a hand masher. (Yes, we’re doing this the old fashioned way!) Once you’ve got them mashed up pretty well, add in as much of the 1 cup of warm milk as you need. Stir the potatoes with a spoon to get them to the texture you desire. Add in the garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. If you desire less or more than my recommended measurements of these, have at it! Lastly add in the yogurt and chopped parsley and give it all a good mix. You have mashed potatoes!

Just a Man in His Kitchen: Chicken Meatloaf

Frank — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 20:31:15 +0000

Meatloaf. Although it has European origins, it really is a quintessential piece of Americana. Meatloaf is right up there with pot roast, chicken pot pie, and other classic American family dinners. I was a fan of the standard ground beef meatloaf for a long time. After some prodding from the wife to try to make my meatloaf a little more health friendly, I developed this chicken meatloaf recipe that has become a frequent visitor to our dinner table. The tomato herb gravy really adds some nice flavor to it as well. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

CHICKEN MEATLOAF

2 lbs ground chicken
1/2 cup chopped basil
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (or parsley)
1/4 cup chopped sage (or 1 tbsp rubbed sage)
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 egg
1 1/2 cups dried oats
salt
pepper

TOMATO HERB GRAVY

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken stock or broth
2 Roma tomatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 tbsp dried thyme
1/2 tbsp dried oregano
salt
pepper

Combine all ingredients for the meatloaf together into a large mixing bowl. Be sure the onion is finely diced and add the salt and pepper to taste. Mix all of the ingredients together well with your hands (Don’t be afraid, get in there with your hands. You can always wash them later!).

Once you’ve got everything mixed well, move the contents of the bowl into a greased loaf pan. Get it all level and pretty looking, and then place it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes (or until fully cooked). Remove the meatloaf from the oven (with oven mitts please!!). Allow it to cook for 5 minutes or so before slicing it up and serving it.

But wait! We can’t serve it without the gravy! To make the gravy, add the butter to a saucepan on medium heat and let it melt. Once melted, add the flour and whisk together to start to make your roux. Add a little of the chicken stock in and whisk until you have a yellowish paste. Now slowly add the rest of the stock while whisking. Whisk vigorously to avoid getting any clumps (I mean, who wants clumpy gravy?). Allow the gravy to come to boil and thicken. Add in your diced, peeled tomatoes. If you’re not sure how to peel Roma tomatoes, refer to the tomato sauce recipe. Finally add in the thyme and oregano as well as salt and pepper. Whisk everything together and then allow the gravy to simmer and thicken. You can use an immersion blender to break down the tomato a little if necessary, but be careful not to puree it down too much that the gravy gets thin!

Serve the meatloaf slices with the gravy on top. It’s quite tasty! I decided to serve the chicken meatloaf with some butter free Yukon Gold mashed potatoes and swiss chard. ”Oooh! Those sides sound perfect! How do I make those???” Stay tuned…

Just a Man in His Kitchen: Tomato Sauce

Frank — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 02:07:46 +0000

When it came time to decide which recipe I would share first, I strained my brain for days. Where would I begin this culinary voyage? So many options… so many possibilities… In the end, I decided to lean toward my Italian roots (and when it comes to cooking I seem to lean toward my Italian side a lot). Any Italian dish can live or die by the sauce that blankets it, so I figured why not start with this basic, yet essential, element: the tomato sauce. My tomato sauce has not let me down yet, so let us begin here. Here’s what you’ll need to make your tomato sauce, or gravy as they like to call it:

1 cup diced red onion
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced celery
3 cloves minced garlic
1o Roma tomatoes
1 12-oz can tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp sugar
olive oil
salt
pepper

The dish starts with a simple “stewing” of tomatoes. Fill a stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Add 10 Roma tomatoes to the boiling water. Slice an X in the bottom of each tomato before adding it to the water (not too deep now, just a nice shallow X to get that skin wanting to jump off the tomato). Boil for about 10 minutes. You will see the skin begin to peel off. Remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and place them immediately into a bowl of cold ice water. Let them rest for about 10 more minutes and the skins should finish peeling off. Remove the tomatoes from the water and peel any skin remnants. Cut off the tops of the tomatoes and slice them. They’re gonna be very juicy and that tomato juice is going to want to run everywhere so be careful slicing them so as not to lose all that juice; you’re gonna want that in your sauce! Place the tomato slices and juices into a bowl. Add one tablespoon each of salt and sugar. Stir, and then place into the refrigerator for an hour or so until you are ready to use them.

In a large stock pot add olive oil and then one cup each of diced red onion, diced carrot and diced celery (this is the French mirepoix, the base for many Mediterranean sauces and dishes – See! You learned a little French too!). Also add about 3 cloves of garlic, minced. Allow to cook down for about 5 minutes or so until softened. Add in one tablespoon each of dried oregano and dried thyme leaves. Add a little salt and pepper. Stir regularly until softened. Add in the tomatoes from the refrigerator along with one cup of chicken stock (or broth). Stir and cook down for about 5 minutes or so. Use an immersion blender to break down the tomato and vegetables, then add one large can of tomato paste. Stir to incorporate the paste into the vegetables and stock. Add one cup of water and one cup of red wine (I recommend Chianti, Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah). Lastly add in about ½ cup of diced fresh basil. Stir all the ingredients together and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes or longer, stirring regularly.

Voila! You have a tasty, basic tomato sauce that you can use as a base for a lot of different Italian dishes!

Stepping Backward – Voting Rights 1965 and now

wally — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 16:25:33 +0000

On this date August 6, 1965, the Voting Rights Act was signed. It is a travesty that 60 years later, we are still taking steps backwards instead of forward! You know everyone.. I don’t fault the haters. I am not even mad at them. I understand the need for ID. Don’t have a problem with it. But there should be some Grandfather laws applied. Something to the effect of anyone born after the Voting Rights Acts requires ID. What is so hard with that? Now as for limiting voting hours, this is complete and udder hypocrisy!!! If we truly live in a Democracy where everyone’s voice should be heard and counted, why would you want to limit this ability by any choice? It seems to me that few of us Americans don’t want to living in a true Democracy – are we moving towards Feudalism? I thought the founding fathers fled countries where the land barons ruled everything!!!! I am not against being RICH. I get up everyday motivated that CAPITALISM is KING and I can participate in it. But as a former athlete and an American, I look for the game to be FAIR from all ASPECTS!! Where are we as a country, if people want to continue on both sides to argue about the problem rather than move to the solution? So much for my diatribe… GOD BLESS THE REAL AMERICA..MAY WE SEE IT ONE DAY!!!!!!

http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/intro/intro_b.php

My thoughts on the State of the Union…From the Editor

wally — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:16:53 +0000

2^nd – I would like to say that it was a decent speech but not a lot of substance. Herein is the problem of the Presidency. Americans must know that your fight begins with your Congressional members and your Vote.

- Issues with Obama

We had a lot of talk about new programs and regulations without how we were going to pay for them. In addition, as a small business owner/entrepreneur, I do not believe that tax credits can help me fund growth. What is necessary is access to capital thru your new merged Commerce department or something?
Nothing was said about all the subsidies. While you attack the easy (Oil) how about farm subsidies? Where are we on that? What are you going to do to make that an example of Free Market economy or should I go plant corn?
Play in World Markets. I really still cannot articulate your strategy. How do you plan to draw us away from being the Police for the World? Where does the funding go? It can’t stop. I understand the need to protect our sovereignty and I don’t believe that the current send a brigade everywhere works. So what is the strategy?
To the big stuff, what actually is your idea on Tax Reform? I sort of hear it on the Republican side? What is yours? Cutting the loopholes doesn’t get us there. We need a complete overall of tax reform. Broaden the base and flatten the tax rate. I am thinking that two levels are better 25 slowly migrating to 18% depending on income. With this, we need to remove all deductions and penalties, including Gift / Inheritance tax.
Where is the support for voter’s rights?
Okay, I am for public / private partnership to fund employment. But if government dollars are involved, we must tie it to benefits of Welfare and Unemployment.
America needs to be re-tooled and it has to happen in conjunction with Benefits.
I applaud you for reaching out to manufacturing this is needed. Being from the Midwest, we need to restore our cities that were built on manufacturing.

- Issue with Republican response

I have heard a lot from my buddies about what Obama has done wrong, but where are they making a commitment to come together as a team. I still see a big difference between Tea Party on the right and Reaganites. How do we come together as a party?
What is your plan for stimulating the economy? Don’t tell me by putting more money into the pockets of those that already have. That did not work. Can you stay Stimulus package? We need a bill that stimulates growth at the Micro level. This is the Republican party of Lincoln and Reagan
Where is the support for voter’s rights? If I am American, why don’t we propose a law that mandates that you HAVE to vote?
Where was the response to be honest? I just hear a lot of griping and blame but no response to change and resolution of the problems at hand.

The Last Supper – Ribeye Steak with Sweet Potao Fries and a Vegetable Stir-Fry Medley

wally — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:47:19 +0000

It is that time of year again, holidays are over…. New Year…Time to get in shape….In addition to this I have two major motivating factors, turning 50 this year and my compadre…C.W. Harris has been grinding it out (becoming a Super Hero). I am feeling bad. Need to get back the Abs. But before this happen, I have to have my LAST SUPPER!!!!

So about two weeks ago, passing by one of my favorite neighborhood butcher, La Rosa, I spot Ribeye. (If there any that I am sure God created besides me, it was a beautiful piece of meat called Ribeye.) Something about it started singing to me in a heavenly voice. I could hear myself being delivered. As if I was being seduced and had to cheat on my princesa, she called me. Devour me. She called my name. I knew how Adam felt (or some of our politicians) TEMPTED!!!! I ask for two pieces about two inches thick each. That would give me one piece for me. And enough for everyone else! (I am being fair. For it was I that was suffering thru this moment of deceitful lust!!)

While smoking My UZI Weighs a Ton (thank you Mr. Drew). I walk home… enough time to contemplate how and when I was going to partake of her love, for yes. Ribeye …I shall have you. First, just like any great Goddess, she needed to be prepared for sacrifice. Let’s see What’s in da Fridge? How can I dress her for a soon to come lovely night of decadence?

Got it. She will be bathed (aged) for at least a week in a bath only fit for her beauty.

Queen’s bath (marinade)

- Balsamic Vinegar

- Cracked Black Pepper

- Rosemary

- Salsa (got some left over from Costco)

- Crushed Garlic

I leave her there resting in all of her lavishness for two weeks. (Yeah in the fridge – wrapped and sealed in good old Tupperware – to keep the refrigerator taste out.)

Now it is Sunday, two weeks later. Day 2 of my trying to be Super Hero again. (Ok just trying not to have to buy new pants!!!) While walking back from the gym, stop by the bodega; grab some Sweet Potatoes, a head of broccoli, one red pepper, and red onion.

Now I am home.

Time to prepare my decadence.

- Using a roasting pan, place it on the stovetop. It covers two eyes. Heat all the way up on both. It is essential that this pan gets as hot as possible because these two pieces of meat will require it to get the sear on them that I want. (Folks, it is okay if the pan smokes, you want it HOTTTT!!!!!!!)

- Next let’s prepare the Sweet Potato Fries.

Cut them into sticks (the density that you would like). I like mine sort of thin. (Blame those guys with the Arches.)
It is important to soak in some cold salted water for about 10-15 minutes. It seems to help them crisp up faster for me.
Remove from the water. Season with:
- Paprika
- Cumin
- Salt
- Celery Seeds
- A dab of allspice (not too much, it can over power everything).
- Olive Oil
Let them hang out for a bit (at least 10-15 minutes)
Drop them in hot oil (I used good old Canola). Cook to your desired color / doneness.

- Next Vegetable Stir Fry Medley.

Easy
I like to clean the veggies.
Broccoli.
- Cut the florets (heads off)
- I take the stems and grate them like I would cheese on a medium tooth. Awesome.
Cut the red pepper and onion into strips.
I also have a leek that I do the same.
I have a WOK. Always a great tool for the Everyday Guy
Heat up like the roasting pan. Let’s cook
Take a few cloves of garlic (crush them).
Season the wok with Sesame Oil
Add garlic, onion. 2 minutes later everything else.
If you want to add a little bite I like to throw in Mirin sauce and Sesame seeds for the last minute of the stir-fry.
You should only have to cook this for 3-5 minutes.

ALRIGHT ALRIGHT….I KNOW THE GODDESS WHAT ABOUT HER!!!!!

Time to prepare the sacrifice.

In your heated pan, a little olive oil. Just to barely coat. Simply place the Ribeye. I am cooking these to a medium (just cause that is how they like it in the house, and I don’t want mama to be mad at me. I prefer rare/medium rare.) Important part here is that you do nothing. Just watch. Can even get a smoke in if you want. Let the meat really sear. Don’t be afraid of the smoke. Oh yeah, preheat your oven to 350.

Cooking time depends all on the heat. You can test if it is ready by using the good old fingers and pushing down on the center of the meat. The more it goes down the rarer it is. I like to weight till it starts to push back. Now we are there. Need to finish this off in the oven. Yeah baby, I said it was the last supper. Grab some butter. A couple of pads of butter to each piece. Into the oven for 5 minutes tops. If you want to go 10, you will have medium to well done steak.

The reality is that if you really don’t know how to cook Steak, you might want to not try this recipe with an expensive cut like the Ribeye. But I did and just look at the pictures. Video is coming next. This was a warm up for my two-month break with the boys!! We will videotape that one.

A New Year’s Toast from Everyday Guy

wally — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 15:14:18 +0000

Happy New Year from Everydayguy.tv. We recently attended a tasting at the Brandy Library in NYC. Great place.

Had to say it was hard to pick which was my favorite. I would invite you to try them all. I will say that lesser known brands held up against the big guns from Remy Martin and Courvoisier.

The location has a terrace. Got to tote down a couple of Cigars while there. La Palina Lil Bill and Martinez Flat Iron Number 9.

NOTABLES

- Brache Gabrielson XO

- Chateau Beaulon Grande Fine

Both of them held up against the big boys. I also like the Louis Royer – one world Fabulous.

For the enthusiast, Brandy Library is a must attend place. This is not the place to go have a beer with the boys. It is an experience. A journey threw world of Liquors. It makes you know why men have journeyed around the world for the same.

They don’t serve alcohol here. They provide dreams, journey, relaxation – thought provoking, conversation stimulation. No TVs – it is a place to entice yourself and release your inhibitions.